The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas is a fictional autobiography written from beyond the grave. You asked for a playful narrative, clever humour, intriguing psychological analysis and clear, original writing and Machado de Assis delivered. 140 years ago.

Brazilian writer and poet Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was no protagonist of a rags-to-riches tale; but after publishing his first poem at 15, he worked his way up the literary ladder quietly and assiduously, picking up some foreign languages and honours on the way.

Sure, the average English reader will have never heard of him. But who cares about average. Read this book. You'll think it was written yesterday.

A humble man, the bishop of Digne. But his small act of kindness will trigger an incommensurable change in Jean Valjean's life, so it is worth to take our time and find a bit more about him. After all, "the great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness". May we all be inspired.

Head for the beach with a group of friends, hum the tune for Zorba's Dance and lose yourself in a passionate sirtaki until your head won't stop spinning. You are about to meet a character who will encompass all of this. Zorba is your head spinning; he's that friend your parents told you to worry about; he is a 65-year-old working man who has seen it all and still lives life at its fullest, and will drag you in with him.

A story for our times, the allegorical novel and parable of Nazi occupation set in the fictional town of Oran, in Algeria. Albert Camus speaks to us from 1947, and we wonder whether he would have ever imagined that we would be discussing his novel now, 75 years from the liberation from nazism, where "la peste" acquires a completely different meaning.

If there is a short novel that is pure light, that is Siddharta. You will soon forget that this novel was first published in 1922, as it feels so relevant today, perhaps even more so while we rush as a society to reconcile contradicting principles: do more, do less, think more, think less, believe more, believe less. It won't give you any definitive answer, but it will certainly make you question your choices and wonder: is this all worth it? Where is this enlightenment Siddharta was looking for?

It would be inaccurate to describe The Little Prince as a children's story. Perhaps we can say that The Little Prince is a story for adults who want to remember what it feels like to see the world with the eyes of a child. Sorry, not the eyes. We mean the heart.

One sees clearly only with the heart.

On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.

Discover the troubled relationship between a father in his three adult sons in a saga about faith, judgement and family values, rich with literary techniques and dominated by a self-aware narrator who often takes over to highlight his own mannerisms and perceptions.

In the first chapter of The Brothers Karamazov, we are introduced to the head of the family, 55-year-old Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, described by the prosecutor who is following his murder as a "petty knave, a toady and a buffoon, of fairly good, though undeveloped, intelligence; he was, above all, a moneylender, who grew bolder with growing prosperity". Not the most desirable of family relations, we think...

Translated into English by Constance Garnett (1912).

The first three chapters of The Adventures of Pinocchio, a timeless tale following the adventures of a naughty wooden puppet. Often misrepresented as a simple moral tale by its cinematic and tv adaptions, Pinocchio is a much more sophisticated social satire and will certainly spark some interesting thoughts on how Pinocchio reacts to the bad things that happen to him and to his own mistakes.

The story of a 1600 nobleman losing his wits for reading too many adventure books and deciding to set out for his own adventures. In the first chapter of Don Quijote, we learn a bit about him, what he likes, what he imagines and what he thinks is real.

A major milestone of Western literature, Don Quixote is said to have inspired countless authors, but none of them has produced such a spectacular work so full of irony and so ahead of its times.

The second episode is dedicated to the first chapter of The Count of Monte Cristo. (Anonymous translation.)

The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas (father), completed in 1844. Edmond Dantes, a promising 19-year-old captain's mate, is about to inherit the command of his ship, the Pharaon, and to marry his love, Mercedes. A jealous acquaintance arranges to spoil his plans and Dantes ends up in prison for 14 years. After he finally manages to escape and acquire the fortune which lies in a cave in the small island of Monte Cristo, he sets about exacting revenge on his enemies, but his actions have consequences on the innocent and the guilty alike. Is there a real chance for redemption for the Count of Monte Cristo?

A review from your friend Phileas Fogg: this could be one of the most quotable novels of all times. The reason it isn't is probably because of how monumental it looks. Don't be daunted: you will forget about time when you read The Count of Monte Cristo.